Martinez Named U.s. Drug Czar

Mum On Plans

December 1, 1990|By KEN CUMMINS, Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- President Bush named Florida Gov. Bob Martinez to be the nation`s next drug czar on Friday, saying he was giving ``a battlefield promotion`` to a ``leader who has earned his stripes on the front lines in the drug war.``

With Martinez standing at his side during a brief news conference at the White House, Bush praised his nominee as ``a superbly qualified individual`` who will ``hit the ground running.

``And as a governor who signed more than 130 death warrants, he understands tough choices, and the need for penalties as tough as the criminals we face.``

Martinez declined to specify what he plans to do differently from his predecessor, William Bennett, when taking over in early January as director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Martinez was defeated for re-election on Nov. 6 by former U.S. Sen. Lawton Chiles, a Democrat.

Speaking briefly to reporters after the president`s announcement, Martinez said he wants to take ``a holistic approach where treatment, education, information and the criminal justice system must work together.``

Martinez said he preferred to defer questions about his plans for his new job until his Senate confirmation hearing in late January or early February because the senators ``deserve to hear it first from me personally.``

His nomination already has drawn fire from members of Congress -- including Rep. Larry Smith, D-Hollywood -- who complain that the outgoing governor and former mayor of Tampa lacks the clout and in-depth knowledge of federal programs needed to command the nation`s war on drugs.

But Bush said Martinez, as governor, ``has introduced some of our most effective and innovative new tools against drugs.``

Bush said that Martinez, his friend and political ally, had named the first state drug czar in the country, brought Florida`s National Guard into the drug war, stiffened state penalties against drug use and drug crimes, pushed drug- free programs for the workplace and schools and built new prisons.

Bush indicated his own plans for new drug czar by saying, ``as a former governor and mayor, Bob will be especially effective in joining hands with state and local leaders.``

Bennett irked many state and local officials who felt they were being dictated to rather than consulted on national drug strategies.

Martinez said he would draw on his experiences as governor in developing his own anti-drug strategies for the country.

``Certainly I come from a state that has been the laboratory in the war against drugs,`` he said.